


you'll fit so nicely (you'll keep me intact)

by emulate



Category: Absentia (TV)
Genre: Beards (Facial Hair), Comfort, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, i've never created a relationship tag before this is WILD, why is there not more absentia fic i'm dying over here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 21:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emulate/pseuds/emulate
Summary: Emily finds her comfort in Cal, and his beard.





	you'll fit so nicely (you'll keep me intact)

**Author's Note:**

> season 2 practically slapped me in the face with this dynamic and demanded i write about it. so here it is.
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> title is from human by dodie.

Somewhere between their first meeting at the Boston office and almost dying together on that rainy Moldova night, Cal’s beard became a comfort for Emily. 

As much as Emily likes to shrug off therapy and its effectiveness for her recovery, it did give her some insight into her need for a system. A system in place to calm her down, for when her vision goes fuzzy and all that she sees in front of her is murky green water and bright red blood running down her arms. 

Unknowingly to them both, Cal becomes a part of that system. 

It was completely instinctive the first time, when Cal had kneeled down in front of her and asked her to breathe in sync with him, for Emily to curl her fingers into Cal’s thick beard and meet his soft eyes that were staring so concernedly into her panicked ones. 

Their faces were close, noses almost touching, but Emily’s vision had already begun to come back into focus, and the more that she scratched and tugged and buried her fingers into the dense hair on Cal’s jawline, the easier her breath and heartrate seemed to slow. 

Thick tears always left wet stained trails down her cheeks, Emily unable to hold them back when she found herself reliving those terrifying memories, but Cal just took her shaking hands in his and kissed her knuckles gently, soothing away the rest of the panic that was trying to claw its way through her chest. 

Eventually, when she had her breath back, Emily would drop her hands to wrap them around Cal in a tight hug, not knowing how to thank him for his understanding and patience with her wobbly grasp on reality and her recovery. Cal would just shush her lightly, rubbing a warm heavy palm up and down her back, as the last of the tension made its way out of Emily’s body. 

And every time after that Cal would be there. With his calming presence and smooth words, easing the terror out of Emily’s traitorous mind and encouraging her to thread her fingers through his beard as much as she wanted, as much as she needed to. 

Emily could only ever hold on for dear life, and find her way back to Cal, back to the present, where nothing and no one could hurt her while shielded in his grasp. 

**Author's Note:**

> ok but am i going to have to single-handedly write 400 emily/cal fics because i wILL if i have to, also if anyone else out there is dying from the lack of content, i'm here to scream about it with u if u want.
> 
> i appreciate any and all feedback <3


End file.
